The invention relates generally to a cooktop drain that heats water in a stockpot and empties the water directly down a drain. More particularly, the invention relates to a drain, having a cooktop and a valved stockpot and to a sink connected to the drain, the sink having a rinse assembly. The sink, cooktop and stockpot are assembled such that heating, draining the stockpot of water into the sink and rinsing the sink of residue are performed by a single apparatus.
Today's residential and commercial kitchens use a cooking surface commonly known as a cooktop that is either independently installed on top of a counter surface or integrated into the top section of an oven range configuration. These appliances, having electric or gas heat sources, commonly have one or more burners along a flat grated cooking surface. A typical use for a cooktop is to heat water to boil or steam starchy foods such as pasta or rice or vegetables. This common task requires the cook to manually fill a pot with water at one location, typically a sink, transport the pot to the cooking area, boil the water, and when finished, lift the pot off the cooktop surface, and carry the vessel over to the sink to drain the water by tipping the pot over and expelling the hot liquid contents.
In this sequence of events, the cook must first fill the pot and then lift and manually transport it from the sink to the cooktop. With the emergence of backsplash or countertop faucets and hoses positioned above or adjacent to the cooktop in commercial and residential kitchen settings, pots can now be easily filled at the site of heating. While these filling devices conveniently resolve the issue of transporting a water laden pot from one location to another, the pot still requires the water to be drained manually in order for its food contents to be removed. Several convenience and safety issues arise as a result of these common tasks. The pot is heavy and unwieldy when full of water, making it difficult to lift to and from a sink. There is a danger from steam and scalding water, especially when the pot is transported back to the sink and emptied as the water and steam are expelled. The danger is acute if the user drops the pot during transportation, potentially scalding the user as well as bystanders. Many handicapped persons find these tasks physically challenging.
Both in commercial and residential kitchen settings, the frequent task of filling a pot with water, boiling the water, and draining the pot becomes an inconvenience and safety concern. Many have proposed devices that consolidate some of these tasks within one appliance, thus increasing the convenience and speed of these tasks.
Cooking pasta on demand in industrial settings has led to large spaghetti cookers that use vats of water with a heat source underneath and a drain. The pasta is submerged into the hot water inside a basket or similar device. Some recirculate or refresh the water, some have automated the task of maintaining the water level by adding more heated water through a valved pipe. Some have a separate vat of cool water to stop the pasta from overcooking. Some have added chutes to add pre-measured amounts of pasta.
Others have developed pots with bottom spouts, sometimes with a filter, especially for deep fryers that use hot oil. One even proposed a pot with a bottom spout for use outdoors. None of the these provide drains to dispose of the hot liquid, particularly those for deep fryers, since oil should not be drained to the sewer system. If the pot contains hot water, it must be transported to the sink and emptied through the bottom spout, which eliminates the tipping step, but not the transportation step.
Others have attempted to integrate a sink, a sunken cooking chamber and a cutting board to save the user steps. Others have place cook tops elevated with a sink at a lower level so that the cooktop can easily be cleaned and the cleaning fluid falling into the sink drain. One has proposed having heaters attached to the bottom of a sink and using the sink basin as a cooking pot.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.